Gold medalist Kurt Angle is in shock and feels bad for young Pittsburgh wrestlers who can't represent their country: "As a kid, I dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal. And now, these kids growing up, they don't have that dream anymore."

The USOC said it sent letters Tuesday to the mayors of 35 cities to gauge their interest in the possibility of making an Olympic bid.

Spokeswoman Joanna Doven confirmed that a letter was received at Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office, and Ravenstahl has released a written statement that says he will pursue the idea.

While Ravenstahl acknowledged the "extraordinary" challenges that come with the Olympic bidding process, he also pointed out that the city successfully hosted the G-20 global economic summit in 2009.

"Pittsburgh should feel very proud and honored to have come this far. Certainly there would be extraordinary obstacles and challenges to meet in putting a bid together, and we will reach out to community members to gauge their interest," Ravenstahl said.

Just getting a letter does not guarantee the USOC will submit a bid for the city, but the committee said it is an "initial step" to evaluate the possibility.

The committee said it has 2 1/2 years to decide on a city, and it will only enter a bid that has the "right alignment of political, business and community leadership."

In its letter, the USOC reminded mayors that operating costs would be in excess of $3 billion, not including infrastructure and new sports venues. An Olympic city would also need 45,000 hotel rooms, a village for 16,500 athletes and officials, an international airport and a workforce of up to 200,000, the letter said.

Pittsburgh would need to triple the number of hotel rooms in order to host the Olympics. "We lack the minimum amount by a long shot, we would actually need to triple the amount of rooms we have available in the city right now," says Craig Davis, CEO of Visit Pittsburgh.

Maggie Keilburger of Mt. Lebanon likes the idea of the Olympics in Pittsburgh. She says, "Oh absolutely, there's tons of places to have it, I think the city would certainly support it, it would bring a lot of people in to see the little city of Pittsburgh."

Antoine Pope of the West End says, "Oh yeah they can, you know it's a growing city, we're getting everything together now you know, I could see it. I would love to see it, I would love to, that would be like epic right there."

Bill Shirk from Mt. Washington says, "That's jaw-dropping, it's inconceivable, actually. I'm in the service industry, it would be a great boon for business, but, the infrastructure's not there. G-20 was a mess and it's like G-20 times 20."

Thiago Estevan is from Brazil, which is hosting the Olympics in 2016. He lives in Pittsburgh now and says, "I think it would be great for Pittsburgh as far as expanding our horizons and making sure people outside of the U.S. know where Pittsburgh is and everything it has to offer. But, as far as people who live here and pay taxes, I'm not so sure it's a great deal for us."

Davis says there is a greater chance of Pittsburgh winning another big sporting event before the Olympics come to town, "I think because the Super Bowl's requirements are a little bit more in our ballpark, I think we'd have a better chance of getting a Super Bowl than getting the Olympics."

Atlanta was the last U.S. city to host the Summer Olympics, in 1996. Chicago and New York made unsuccessful bids for the 2016 and 2020 Games, respectively.

Los Angeles, Dallas and Tulsa, Okla., have expressed interest in the 2024 Olympics. Other interested cities around the world include Paris; Rome; Doha, Dubai; and Durban, South Africa.